A Nightmare in Blue
by Kumar1
Summary: Not everything is as it seems when Adora disappears from the Whispering Woods
1. Chapter 1

The problem with sleeping outside in tents is that you can't tell when you have been magically transferred over to a dungeon. The conditions for both environments are rough, and if the time of year is right, both are cold.

What ended up waking Adora was the persistent drip, drip, dripping sound near her head. If it was raining, she had to get up and make sure the camp was covered and ok. For just a brief moment, she resisted and grasped her blanket a little tighter. Then she signed and sat up.

She was no longer in the Whispering Woods. It was dark and dank. The air could not be confused with the sweet smell of the woods. There was nobody snoring nearby. And the only light came from hall outside of the door.

The shock didn't last for long. This was Adora after all. Princess of Eternia. Leader of the Great Rebellion. Former Force Captain for the Horde. She was trained to react fast and in a moment she was on her feet examining her surroundings.

The situation didn't look good. Adora was in her nightgown. She was barefoot. She did not have her sword. No one knew where she was, least of all her.

The place looked slightly familiar though. Like she'd been here before. Adora focused on that. Planning, anticipating. Because the alternative wouldn't help her at all.

It wasn't long before she heard footsteps approaching. Adora squared her shoulders, stood up and waited. She was tall, full of lean muscle. Her experience as a warrior was obvious in her ready but relaxed stance. Her long blond hair was loosely tied back, out of her way.

"Princess Adora," Skeletor's familiar boney face appeared. He was gloating as usual. "Welcome to Eternia!"

The muscular, blue creature had a terrifying face, or it would have been if Adora hadn't already battled with him many times previously. Instead of a face, he had a terrible bony skull. His skin was a rich blue and his fingers ended in dark claw-like nails. He carried with him a ram's head staff, a tool to focus his considerable magical powers.

Eternia! This news improved the situation dramatically. Adora's whole family was here, and most importantly her twin brother was here. Adora stepped forward, "What do you want, Skeletor?"

Beast Man stepped into view and opened the door. He was literally a beast merged with a man. Hairy, slobbery and disgusting, he was also pathetically and completely loyal to Skeletor. He stretched his mouth into what could have been a grimace or a smile. He enjoyed his job a little too much.

"Just your mind, Princess" Skeletor responded. He laughed evilly. "And perhaps, your sanity!"

Beast Man grabbed Adora who, in her natural form, was no match for his animal strength. She struggled but he held her tighter.

Skeletor raised his staff and started attacking the princess with magic.

"Prince Adam!"

A faint voice called out, interrupting Prince Adam mid-sentence.

The prince was a tall and handsome man. Well-muscled, blond and with deep blue eyes. He was currently talking with Man-At-Arms about a new wind raider when he was interrupted. He touched his forehead.

"Adam! You must come to Castle Grayskull immediately!"

Man-At-Arms, always worried about his friend, asked, "Adam, what's wrong?

The young prince opened his eyes, when had he closed them? And responded, "It's the Sorceress. She wants me to go to Castle Grayskull right away."

Of course, a call from the Sorceress was rarely good news. Adam's thoughts immediately went to his sister, living and fighting on far away Etheria. He knew deep in his gut, the way twins just know things about each other, that something was very wrong.

"Take this wind raider," Man-At-Arms gestured. "It's fueled and ready to go."

Adam wasted no more time and was in the air and on the way to the Castle in moments, urgency motivated by dread.

"Now, Princess, we are going to turn you into a weapon against your family!" Skeletor was focused and calm. His magic, coming from the ram's head on his staff was relentless.

Adora was unable to move or respond. She felt her hold on reality slipping. She focused her thoughts on her beloved twin. She knew, instinctively, that to give in would be disasterous.

Adam arrived at Grayskull and quickly went inside. His sense of foreboding had increased suddenly in the last few minutes. He quickly entered the Castle and met the Sorceress in the throne room.

The Sorceress was a timeless woman, dressed in a feathered cape and falcon headgear. She exuded power and there was clearly more to her than met the eye. Her voice was quiet and serene. "Prince Adam, thank you for coming so quickly!"

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with my sister?" Adam frowned.

The Sorceress descended from her throne. "Yes, Adam. Adora is missing from Etheria."

"Missing?" Adam was confused. "How? Why?"

The Sorceress frowned. "I am not sure what's going on but I received a message from Light Hope a short time ago. He monitors the princess on my behalf. She just suddenly vanished and he cannot find her."

Adam was all business. "What can I do to help?"

"I want you to go to Etheria and see if Adora's friends and colleagues know what has happened. It may be nothing but I sense a grave danger."

Adam frowned. "I feel it, Sorceress. Something is wrong with my sister and I will get to the bottom of it."

"I know you will, Prince Adam." The Sorceress waved her hands and a portal opened up. "Go now and good luck!"

Adam did not hesitate at all. He walked right into the portal and came out in the usual spot just outside of the Whispering Woods.


	2. Chapter 2

Time ran differently on Etheria and so it was the middle of the night. The pastel coloured woods glowed faintly with magic making Adam's walk an easier one.

It was only a matter of moments before he was in the Rebel camp.

"Halt! Who goes there?" A male voice questioned sternly.

Adam paused and raised his hands. "It's me, Adam, looking for my sister."

Bow appeared out of the shadows, arrow ready to go and pointed straight at the prince. He was a tall, muscular man, almost dashing in his appearance. No matter when Adam saw him, Bow was perfectly groomed without a hair out of place. He narrowed his eyes briefly and then lowered his weapon.

"Why, so it is!" Bow declared. "Welcome, Adam. What brings you here in the middle of the night? Is everything ok?"

Adam wasn't sure what was going on and so he decided to play his cards close to the chest for now. "I'm here on personal business. Can you show me to Adora's tent?"

Bow was gracious and friendly. Quite frankly, being on night watch was also boring since the Whispering Woods protected the rebels by preventing anyone evil from entering. He was all too happy to have someone to talk to and something to do.

He led the prince over to the sleeping area where multiple tents were pitched. Some were more fantastic than others, shored up with wood and made almost into little homes. Adora's tent was a very basic one, large enough for a rough bed and a place for her to keep her meagre possessions. Adam knew that material goods didn't matter to his sister but it always irked him to see that she lived so roughly.

Of course, he had tried to upgrade her situation, bringing tents and other supplies to help her out. These items she distributed among the rebels, as was her nature, sharing the gifts so that everyone benefitted. She was a princess not only in name but in her pure heart.

Outside the tent, Adam called softly, "Adora!" but there was no answer. He paused a moment, knowing the tent was empty in his gut and then pushed aside the flap and entered.

There was an empty cot with no blanket. A rough chair where her clothes were laid out and her sword. No sign at all of a struggle and no sign at all of the princess.

"Bow!" Adam called out, knowing that the archer would be nearby.

Bow entered the already small tent, "Yes?"

"Adora's not here. Is there anywhere else she could be at this time of night?" Adam asked.

Bow looked thoughtful. "Maybe she went for a walk? Maybe she's hungry?"

"Can you take a look around for her, please?" Adam asked. Well, not really asking because at this point he was feeling deeply concerned. It was more like a gentle order.

"Sure, no problem!" And Bow was off.

Adam picked up the sword. He knew his sister would never leave her sword behind on purpose. Her magic sword and the source of all her power. This was incredibly ominous. He held the sword up and spoke to the crystal.

"Sorceress!"

The crystal came to life and the Sorceress's face floated into view.

"What have you found?"

Adam cleared his throat. "I'm here and there's no sign of Adora at all. And she is without her sword. I've got Bow looking for her in the camp but I don't think he's going to find anything."

"I agree, Adam. She is not on Etheria."

"And Sorceress," Adam began thoughtfully, "On Eternia I felt something odd. I don't know what. Dread or fear or something in my gut. But here, I don't feel it at all."

"You and Adora are twins, Adam. The connection you already have as twins would be enhanced by the magic of Castle Grayskull. It's possible that Adora is actually on Eternia instead."

That was odd. "Why can't you find her, then?"

"I don't know, Adam. Come back to the Castle and I will attempt to strengthen your connection. Maybe that will help us find the princess."

The Sorceress's face faded out and the sword's jewel went dark. Adam sheathed the sword on his back, sliding it in next to his own magic sword. He gathered up his sister's clothing and left the tent.

Bow was just approaching. "I can't find Adora anywhere, Adam. I checked by the kitchens, near the freshening area, and even with Spirit. She seems to have vanished."

"I think so too,' Adam replied. "I'm going to head back to Eternia to see what we can do from there. In the meantime, keep an eye out for her but don't let Hordak know she's missing or he may attack in her absence."

Bow eyed the bundle of clothing Adam carried. "If you take her clothes, what is she going to wear when we find her?"

Adam shook his head. "I don't think you will find her here. I don't think she's on Etheria at all. But I won't stop until I find her."

Adam bid Bow farewell and headed out of the Woods as fast as he could go. He didn't want to be held up by anyone else; his focus was on finding his sister.

Adora could finally catch her breath. Skeletor had released her from the magic beam and left her slumped on the ground. She had no idea what he wanted because he never asked her any questions at all. Which was odd.

There was a noise in the hall and she raised her head. It was He-Man! She was saved. Never had Adora been so glad to see her brother. While he opened the door, she climbed to her feet carefully. Feeling every ache and pain.

"He-Man!"

He only glared at her.

That was… odd.

She took a step towards him and he reared back and hit her across the face. The impact and the shock of being hit, knocked Adora onto the ground. Without a word, He-Man picked up her and threw her against the wall. Adora's head cracked hard and she was mercifully out.

Adam and the Sorceress were standing face to face inside Castle Grayskull. The Sorceress had her hands on Adam's temples and they both had their eyes closed, breathing deeply.

"She is here, on Eternia. I can feel it," The Sorceress said. She was searching through the tenuous link that the twins shared. It was clearly stronger on Eternia so they knew she was nearby.

All of a sudden, Adam felt a sharp pain in his head that caused him to stagger and the connection between him and the Sorceress was broken.

"What happened?" He gasped.

"Adora must be in pain," the Sorceress responded. "Allow me to re-establish the link."

They resumed their original positions and closed their eyes.

"Where are you, princess?"

Adora was awoken quite rudely with a bucket of cold water tossed upon her by a laughing Beast Man. "Wake up, Princess!"

She coughed and spluttered but managed to open her eyes.

"Skeletor wants to see you!" Beast Man grabbed Adora by her arms and hauled her up.

Adora was still frantically trying to process He-Man's betrayal. He had been her only hope but something was clearly wrong. They took one step into the hallway and there he was again. Beast Man froze.

"He-Man!" The mangy henchman called out, clearly afraid.

Adora waited, wondering if she was saved or worse. It wasn't long before she found out.

It was worse.

He-Man strode up, pushed Beast Man aside without a word and then threw Adora back into the cell. She skidded across the still wet floor and ended up in a heap by the far wall. He-Man gave her the dirtiest look and then shut the cell door and locked it before walking away.

Adora's stomach dropped. Her situation was desperate and her only hope of salvation was destroyed. It was up to her to get out and save her brother. She knew there would be no help for her from the Royal Guard or anyone else since they didn't know she was on Eternia.

It seemed like mere moments before Skeletor and Beast Man were at the door again.

"He-Man was here, Skeletor!" Beast Man was clearly grovelling. "He didn't rescue the princess at all!"

"So He-Man is on our side now, hmmmmm." Skeletor appeared to be taking that under consideration. "It looks like no one wants you around, Princess!"

He opened the door and aimed his staff at Adora again. "I think you should just give up now!"

The magic started again. The beam was painful and foggy and very soon Adora couldn't hold a thought in her head. Twice betrayed by He-Man, she lost her focus on her twin and succumbed to the beam.

Adam and the Sorceress had just separated. Adam was catching his breath while the Sorceress was looking thoughtful. "I am sensing a very familiar magic in use." She said. "It feels like a dark magic… perhaps Skeletor is involved."

Adam narrowed his eyes. "Skeletor, eh? Well, there's only one way to find out!" He unsheathed his sword, the Sword of Power, and called out, 'By the Power of Grayskull!"

Transformation from Adam into the hero He-Man complete, He-Man said, "I think I'll go pay old Bone Brain a visit and see if he has a guest that needs to leave!"

"He-Man!" The Sorceress called, "You may want to bring this." She created a blanket out of thin air and then magically shrank it down. "Adora may be hurt but you must bring her to Castle Grayskull. I can help her more than the palace physicians."

He-Man tucked the now tiny blanket into his breastplate. The idea that his sister was hurt only added to his urgency. "I'll be back, Sorceress, with my sister!"

And he left the Castle at a full run, heading towards his wind raider and Adora.


	3. Chapter 3

When Skeletor left, Adora knew she couldn't take much more. She was exhausted and without food or water. She also knew that the rebels on Etheria depended on her and to disappear would be disastrous. She had to save herself.

The princess climbed to her feet slowly, feeling light headed and confused. Her thoughts, so clear minutes ago were suddenly scattered and lost. She had to hide from He-Man who was determined to kill her. He was against everything she did and believed in.

She leaned against the wall near the cell door. Every movement was effort but she had to escape from her captor. She couldn't stay any longer in He-Man's clutches.

Beast Man appeared again. "The master wants to see you, princess." He slobbered and laughed to himself while opening the door.

This was her chance and Adora was determined to take it. Another attack by He-Man could cripple her or worse – kill her. Adora waited until Beast Man came close, feigning more injuries than she had. Shen he was fully inside the cell, she punched him in the groin and slipped out the door while he curled up. The cell was quickly locked and she was free.

The dungeon area was exceptionally quiet. There was no one around to see Adora sneaking out. The place seemed familiar, like Snake Mountain.

The realisation stopped her short for a moment. He-Man was working for Skeletor! The situation on Eternia was very bad. Adora knew that if Eternia's champion had fallen then the royal family was in danger and so was Castle Grayskull.

She skulked and slipped and crept her way out of the mountain. Finding an underused door, Adora found herself outside and free. The relief was so strong. Part of her wanted to find a safe place to lie down and rest, a larger part of her knew she needed to warn everyone about He-Man's betrayal and bring him down.

Barefoot and clad only in her damp and dirty night gown, Adora began the journey from Snake Mountain to safety.

Shortly after Adora had escaped outside, Skeletor showed up at her cell. Beast Man was grateful to see his master and afraid of the consequences of losing the princess. "She's gone, ma-ma-master!"

"Of course she is, you fool!" Skeletor responded, feeling disgust for the idiotic creature. "I let her go."

"You d-d-d-did?"

Skeletor swiped at the door mechanism and freed Beast Man from his prison. "Now the princess will turn everyone against He-Man! He will no longer be trusted. No longer the Champion of Eternia! Soon the Royal family will throw him out and no one will trust him again! And then I will move in and attack!" He started cackling and laughing. "It's a fool proof plan!"

Beast Man laughed along with his master, though he didn't quite follow the complexities of the plan. "Won't they just not believe the princess?"

"Of course not, fool!" Skeletor declared. "I've used magic to muddle her thoughts and memories. Even she doesn't know what's real and what's not anymore!"

Adora had been running forever. She could only focus on putting one foot in front of the other, all other thoughts had left her mind. Once out of sight of Snake Mountain, she'd stopped hiding and ran out in the open. She was cold, her feet were bloody and every breath hurt.

This was like her training in the Horde. Sympathy, weakness and giving up were not tolerated. Adora dug deep and pushed herself on.

Of course, she had never travelled the distance between Snake Mountain and Castle Grayskull on foot so she had no idea how far she still had to go. She ran on, slower and slower, but she kept going.

In the wind raider, He-Man was focused on his plan to confront Skeletor. Whatever he did, he had to make sure that his sister wouldn't be harmed. He was so busy planning that he nearly missed a lone figure on the ground below.

The figure was dressed in some kind of long blue tunic, barefoot and staggering. As he-Man's wind raider flew past, the figure stumbled and fell. The setting sun briefly caught on the figure and her blond hair was highlighted.

"By the Ancients!" He-Man declared. "Adora!"

He landed the raider expertly and leapt out. On the ground he could clearly see his sister struggling. She was damp and shivering and a wreck. She was also getting to her feet again.

He-Man called out as he approached, "Adora!" The relief in his voice matched the relief in his heart.

But something was wrong. The moment Adora saw him, she back away and turned and ran. Her fear very evident on her face. "No!" She cried out. "No!"

He-Man went after her, very concerned now. "Adora, wait! It's me!"

"Stay away from me!" She screamed, tripping on some rocks.

He-Man caught her arm to steady her and she lashed out with the other one. Clawing and screaming.

"Adora! Stop it!"

She calmed down suddenly and He-Man released her arm. He pulled the blanket out of his breast plate and shook it so it grew to full size. "Look, I've brought – "

Adora was already off and running again. Her response was primal, instinctive. It was also clearly out of character. He-Man was at a loss and decided on a course of action, not his first choice, but Adora clearly needed to get to Castle Grayskull as fast as possible.

She may have been running, but she was running on a tormented and tired body and so the princess didn't get very far and didn't go very fast. He-Man caught up with her again, wrapped the blanket around her and then tied his sister up with it.

"I am so sorry, sis," he grunted, tying the last loose end to keep her in place. "I don't know what's wrong, but I promise you I will fix it."

With that, he carried his wiggling package to the wind raider and flew off to Castle Grayskull.

Skeletor knew it would only be a matter of time before his victory on Eternia. He gathered up his troops, polished his ram's head staff and cackled with glee to himself. Nothing could get in the way of his plan. Nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time He-Man reached Castle Grayskull, Adora had gone silent. She was asleep and he was relieved. Finding his sister in her current state was hard and he worried about the torture she had clearly gone through. Only a powerful magic could destroy a person in the space of a day. And Adora was no ordinary person.

Once inside, the sorceress had He-Man lay Adora down on the floor in the throne room. At this point, Adora had awakened but wasn't moving, her breath coming in fast bursts and her eyes wide.

With a flick of a finger, the blanket bindings on the princess had loosened. "Princess Adora, you are safe now." The Sorceress spoke softly. The woman was clearly in a heightened state of fear. "Allow us to help you."

Adora's eyes kept flicking between the Sorceress and He-Man. She was clearly trying to hold herself together. "You align yourself with this monster, how can I trust you?"

He-Man was startled and stepped forward. "Monster? Me?"

"Stay back!" Adora screamed, scooching herself back on the blanket.

The Sorceress wasn't going to let this go on any longer. "Sleep, princess." She touched a soothing hand to the distraught woman's forehead and Adora instantly calmed down and closed her eyes.

He-Man met the Sorceress's gaze. "What's going on, Sorceress?"

"The princess has been exposed to a dark magic. An evil one. It has clearly twisted her thoughts." She frowned, thinking. "Give me her sword."

He-Man handed the Sword of Honour to the Sorceress who placed it in Adora's hands. She grasped Adora's right hand and curled it around the sword. "For the Honour of Grayskull!"

The transformation from normal human to champion was always impressive. This case was even more so since it was triggered by the Sorceress of the Castle. Adora's body was lifted up and hovered in the air briefly while the magic coursed around her and through her. When the transformation reached its peak, she awoke and was on her feet calling "I am She-Ra!" as she normally did.

And suddenly it was done. She-Ra, fit and whole was standing between the Sorceress and her brother, He-Man, looking confused.

"How-? Wha-?" She stammered. "What's going on?"

He-Man stepped forward, smiling in relief. The sword's magic had worked and his sister was restored. "Am I glad to see you!" He enveloped her in a warm hug that lasted a few moments before pulling back.

"And I, you, Brother," She-Ra responded. "But I don't understand how I got here. The last thing I remember was going to sleep in the Whispering Woods!"

"Skeletor spirited you away, sometime in the night." The Sorceress said. "We don't know exactly what happened to you in his care but based on the state you were in when He-Man rescued you, you were subjected to evil magic and cruelty."

"You were terrified of me," He-Man interjected. "I had to tie you up to bring you here."

She-Ra struggled to recall but it was hazy. She knew, though she didn't say, that the sight of her brother in this form caused her a moment of fear that quickly disappeared.

"I'm going to change back to Adora now," She-Ra said.

"He-Man," The Sorceress said, "Remain in this form."

Very shortly, Adora was back. Healed of her wounds but still dirty and dressed in nightwear. The sorceress rectified that very quickly, magically making removing the dirt and handing the woman her normal clothes. "You can go into the side room to change, Princess."

Without a glance at He-Man, Adora left the room. The Sorceress was concerned. The bond between the twins was close and she could sense something blocking it. The events that Adora had been through were perhaps not as easily wiped away as they had hoped.

When Adora returned, she still wouldn't make eye contact with He-Man. She stood uneasily near to the sorceress and looking everywhere but at her brother.

"Princess, won't you look at He-Man?" The Sorceress asked.

She glanced up and away very quickly, the breath catching in her throat.

He-Man stepped forward, concerned. "Sis," he reached out a finger to her chin and tilted her head up. "It's me." He smiled kindly.

Tears filled Adora's eyes. "I know, Brother," She said, "But I see two versions of you. One is loving and the other one is pain. I am having problems separating you in my memories."

"Sorceress," He-Man began, "I want to transform into Adam."

"Not yet, He-Man," The Sorceress responded. "We need to clear this evil magic out of Adora first."

She stepped behind the princess and put her hands on the princess's head. "Look at He-Man and feel what you feel. " She said.

Adora kept her eyes on her brother. Tears rolling down her face. She knew love and fear at the same time, right to her core.

"Breathe deeply, princess," The Sorceress commanded. "And relax."

With every breath, the fear subsided. Adora was no longer seeing both her loving brother and her evil tormenter as one person. The evil He-Man's image in her mind began to transform and change. He became blue skinned though he looked like He-Man he clearly wasn't the same.

Abruptly, Adora stepped forward and wrapper her arms around her brother. The twins embraced and then He-Man pulled back slightly to look his sister in the eyes. "All right?" He searched her face anxiously.

Adora nodded. "It's odd but now I can see what was going on more clearly."

"I've healed your wounds and removed the last of the magic that was affecting you, princess," the Sorceress said. "Can you describe the other He-Man to us?"

Adora nodded and pulled back, folding her arms. "At the time, he was exactly like He-Man, but now I can see that he was only similar. For one thing, he was blue skinned!"

"Faker!" He-Man exclaimed. "I thought he was lost in the abyss outside the castle."

The Sorceress sighed, "Clearly not as lost as we had hoped. Skeletor can do some real damage with Faker if he's not stopped."

He-Man looked grim. "I believe he and I need to have a little chat."

"I think it's time for me to teach Skeletor some manners!" Adora joined in. "It's not nice to wake up in the dungeon!"

She pulled out her sword and called, "For the Honour of Grayskull!"


End file.
